Team

Alan Kearns
Head Coach and Founder

Alan Kearns, Canada's Career Coach and CareerJoy founder, Globe & Mail career expert, Chapters/Indigo Trusted Advisor and author of Get the Right Job Right Now! is one of Canada's leading authorities on career management issues. As founder, president and head coach of Canada's career coaching company, Alan has shaped his almost 20 years of career management experience into a company that helps people from all over North America to navigate a wide variety of career-related issues.

Having been educated as an optician, Alan himself made a career transition when he leapt into the recruitment field and founded TalentLab, a recruitment agency. A few years later when he recognized that professionals need unbiased advice and tools to manage their careers, he founded CareerJoy.

Voted one of the Top 40 entrepreneurs under the age of 40, Alan is a regular contributor to Canadian media on the latest trends in the Canadian workforce, he has been on a number of shows including, Till Debt Do U$ Part, Princess, Canada AM, BT, The National & The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos. He is the career expert on the upcoming new reality show on the O Newtwork - Million Dollar Neighbourhood.  As host of the country's top rated career Podcast, CareerJoy Conversations, he interviews high-profile career gurus, ranging from John Stanton, founder of The Running Room, to Jim Citrin, best-selling author of The 5 Patterns of Extraordinary Careers.

Alan is a highly sought after guest speaker at organizations and conferences in Canada, where he enlightens employers and employees on all topics related to professionals and their careers.

You can connect with Alan on Linkedin and Twitter

Kevin Barwin - MBA
Partner and General Manager - Corporate

Kevin has over 20 years of business experience as a leader and entrepreneur in the high technology sector. He has held senior management positions in Sales, Business Development and Operations.  Before joining CareerJoy, Kevin served as Vice President of Business Development for Overlay.TV. Prior to Overlay.TV, Kevin was Vice President of Global Sales for Lumenera Corporation. Leading up to Lumenera, Kevin served as CEO and Co-founder of Zequra Technologies and CEO of Oursoftware Ltd. In 2003 Kevin was the recipient of the “Top Forty under 40” awarded by the Ottawa Business Journal for his commitment to professional excellence and contributions to the community. Kevin holds an MBA from McMaster University and a BA in Mathematics from Queens University.  Kevin is a world-class skier and always manages to find the best deals on hotels.

Howie Outerbridge
- B.Sc., PDP, M.Ed., Ed.D. candidate
Director, Western Canada
CareerJoy Certified Career Coach

Howie Outerbridge brings over 20 years of staff training and development experience to the field of career education. His non-linear career path consists of a mixture of teaching, employment and personal counselling, and leadership roles in a variety of settings. Howie possesses master’s level training in counselling, and has taught career development theory at the university level. He is currently a doctoral candidate in Simon Fraser University’s Educational Doctoral program in Leadership, examining the impact of part-time work on student performance.

Jill Kirson - MA, Ed.S
CareerJoy Certified Career Coach

Jill has a doctorate level degree (Ed.S) in Community Counseling as well as an MA in Community Counseling and an MA in International Development.  Jill has spent almost two decades as both a career counsellor/coach and a HR professional working in Universities, government agencies and in the private sector in both Canada and the United States.  Her extensive career includes working as both a career counsellor at noted universities, including Osgoode Hall Law School at York University, The George Washington University, and American University and as an internal recruiter and career coach for Osler, Hoskin and Harcourt, LLP, the US Securities and Exchange Commission and the Internal Revenue Service.   As an HR professional, her expertise includes recruiting, talent management and training and development.  Coaching individuals who seek assistance in finding an authentic and meaningful career and life has been Jill’s most recent focus.

Glen Orsak - MBA
Director, Ottawa Region
CareerJoy Certified Career Coach

Glen is an experienced business leader and executive-level advisor with 20 years of prior experience as a strategy, operations and technology consultant and Partner at Deloitte Consulting. As a strategic advisor and consultant to a diverse range of clients through his career, Glen has worked with many high-performing management teams through countless strategic change, technology implementation and operational improvement initiatives. As a business developer and leader, Glen has left a strong professional legacy with several successful consulting practices and the people that he hired, trained and mentored. And most recently as a qualified leadership and career development coach, Glen is drawing on his many years in professional practice combined with a world-class coaching credential to provide support to a diverse range of clients in their personal and professional development.

George Muenz 
Branch Manager
CareerJoy Certified Career Coach

George has over 30 years of business experience both as an entrepreneur and leader in the high technology sector. He has led sales teams in the fast-paced Internet start-ups sector to management positions in Operations, HR and Business Development. George has worked with companies from Fortune 100 to start-ups for their recruitment and staffing needs. In addition, he has personally hired hundreds of staff for employers such as IBM, PWC, Telus and other small to medium size companies. George was Director of Sales and VP Business Development for NetNation, a then publicly traded company on NASDAQ. Employees and management have described George as decisive and leading by example.

Peggy Shkuda - BA, M.Ed 
CareerJoy Certified Career Coach

Peggy has enjoyed a 20 year career in the Canadian television industry. Now working with CareerJoy, Peggy provides career coaching and professional development for professionals who are looking to make a meaningful transition in their lives. Peggy brings to her position years of academic training in the counseling field. She holds a B.A. in Philosophy (University of Toronto) and she has an M.Ed from OISE in the Counseling Psychology Program for Community and Educational Settings. Her post-graduate studies were primarily focused on career and solution-focused counseling.

Anna Marenick - BA, MBA
CareerJoy Certified Career and Resume Coach

Anna is proud to say she’s lived and worked in Nova Scotia her whole life.   She has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Saint Francis Xavier University in Antigonish and an MBA from Saint Mary’s University in Halifax.   She has worked in a variety of different industries, but truly feels at home in a role where she’s coaching and teaching.   Few things are as rewarding to Anna as helping people figure out what they want to do when they grow up.  A proud CareerJoy client, Anna’s honest approach and good sense of humor make her well suited for this line of work.

Nicola Lee -  B.Ed, M.Ed.
CareerJoy Certified Career Coach

Nicola has always been a motivator-at-heart. With her Bachelors of Education and Masters degree, Nicola has been teaching for over 9 years in post-secondary education and has been involved in Career Coaching for 6 years. Originally from Northern Ireland, Nicola got her first taste of Canada while completing a teacher exchange from Belfast to Saskatoon. From there on in, Nicola was hooked on exploring new adventures, new surroundings, and new careers; she volunteered in India and Costa Rica and worked as a computer programmer in the Hi-Tech Industry for 5 years in Dublin, Saskatoon and Calgary, in telecommunications, and oil and gas. However, her love for encouraging people brought her back to teaching at Mount Royal University and the University of Calgary...and to CareerJoy.

Suzanne Turpin, B.Sc., M. Occupational Therapy
CareerJoy Certified Career Coach

Suzanne earned her Professional Masters in Occupational Therapy at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 1999.  Her experience as an occupational therapist was largely devoted to Vocational Evaluation, particularly for individuals experiencing career transitions as a result of injury, illness, or for the purpose of exploring more meaningful career options.  Given this experience, Suzanne has gained a wide breadth of knowledge of various assessment tools and methods in order to create unique profiles that include individual educational and employment histories, transferable skills, interests, values, aptitudes, and strengths and abilities.  While working closely with her clients, such profiles were viewed within the context of relevant labour market conditions and trends in order to assist her clients in setting realistic career goals.

Kellan Beck - BA
Director, Toronto
CareerJoy Certified Career Coach

Kellan has almost 20 years of business development and marketing experience in the financial services and Human Resources industries, working with clients in Canada, the U.S., the U.K. and Europe.  She coaches clients ranging from administrative to C-levels as well as mentoring staff in the companies she has worked with and delivers career management, information technology and sales strategy workshops and training.  Kellan also works with French-speaking, new-Canadian professionals, helping them transition into the local marketplace.  Paramount to Kellan’s experience is the desire to deliver exceptional service in helping people reach their goals by asking the right questions, uncovering needs, and working together to determine the right solutions.

Carol Abfalter
CareerJoy Certified Career Coach

Carol is a highly motivated individual who is always looking for new challenges while seeking out the best in everyone. Carol is optimistic, positive and has an excellent grasp on effectively motivating clients. Her strengths are her conviction in what she does, her listening skills and her acceptance of people for who they are. Carol values integrity, honesty and anyone who can enjoy a good adventure.  Her most recent career was as an IT recruiter, specializing in PeopleSoft and SAP, for a prominent IT Consulting firm in Ottawa. Carol received her Life Coach training through Coach U and has been career coaching for the past 5 years.  Previous experience as an HR consultant at a career centre helping individuals find suitable careers and current recruiting experience gives Carol the knowledge and understanding of what is necessary to successfully coach and empower clients to succeed and attain their career goals.  Along with Career Coaching Carol is currently pursuing a Gerontology Certificate through Algonquin College.

Laura Addicott
CareerJoy Certified Career Coach

Laura is former Director, Career Services Centre, Dalhousie University, where she oversaw the growth of a student service operation providing comprehensive employment and career services.  During her 12 years in the role, Laura formed partnerships with internal and external groups to deliver first-class programs and to provide access to information and learning opportunities through use of leading edge-technology.  In June 2011, Laura was presented with the inaugural Outstanding Achievement Award by Dalhousie’s Professional and Managerial Group.  Laura studied business at Mount Saint Vincent University and has pursued continuing education in the areas of employment, career services and management.

Tara Wheeldon 
CareerJoy Certified Analyst, Career and Resume Coach

Tara is an experienced veteran of the career and employment services field. With ten years experience in diverse settings, she has excellent knowledge of the differences in job markets in big cities, small towns and rural communities. She has a Master’s degree in Counselling with a focus on Career Counselling from the University of Ottawa. She works with adults experiencing mid-career transitions, as well as groups with specialized needs, such as youth, New Canadians, and people living with disabilities. Having been through a couple of lay-offs herself, she has insight into the feelings her clients are experiencing.

Kevin Schafer
CareerJoy Certified Career Coach

Kevin was a Project Manager with Nortel Ottawa when, in the midst of massive lay-offs, he was handed his “opportunity” for a career transition after 16-years of service. While it was the end of an era, he embraced the change. “I had to hide the grin on my face when they were breaking the news to me," he recalls. I saw this as an opportunity to explore some different avenues and possibly try something new and exciting”. With some career coaching and plenty of self-exploration, Kevin decided to leave the hi-tech industry behind. Following his passion, he founded a music agency. As a music manager and agent, Kevin discovered that his skills are directly transferable to CareerJoy. As a career coach, he continues to explore the passions of our clients and has particular skill when it comes to writing bios and marketing skills.

Janet Theobald - MSW
CareerJoy Certified Career Coach

Janet has an MSW from Dalhousie and is a skilled career coach and therapist with over 10 years experience in assessment and counselling. Her passion is to assist others on their journey of healing, growth and personal development. Her ecclectic skill set is tailored to meet specific needs of clients. Empathy, warmth, compassion and exceptional clinical skills are hallmarks of this professional. Her approach is guided by a core belief in the capacity of others for growth and transformation when given a supportive, non-judgmental environment. Buddho is a Thai word which means: "To awaken and purify." Any counseling or exploration work naturally involves an awakening or purification of sorts. With greater self awareness and acceptance we are all free to be more fully ourselves, more alive.

Debora Dekok
CareerJoy Certified Analyst and Resume Coach

Two things Debora cannot live without are pen and paper. An award-winning photojournalist, Debora has written breaking news and quirky human interest stories for newspapers, as well as for corporate and military magazines. She recently left the world of journalism to grow strawberries on the family farm, but gets her writing itch scratched by composing resumes which she thoroughly enjoys. When penning resumes, Debora makes absolute sure to focus on the client's specific needs. When not helping clients market themselves better (and when not indulging in her weakness – dark chocolate), this avid runner can be found hitting the pavement in her neighbourhood.

Tudor Robins
CareerJoy Certified Analyst and Resume Coach

Tudor credits the adventure of becoming a mother with giving her the strength and courage to take the big (and somewhat intimidating) step of writing for a living. She feels her degrees in English Literature and Journalism and years of accumulated experience in the publishing industry are being put to good use every time she sees her work in print. Tudor enjoys writing anything that tells a story and considers resumes to be the ultimate “short story” of a person’s life. When not crafting resumes or magazine features, Tudor is engaged in embracing her second childhood as she experiences life through the eyes of her two little boys.

Rebecca Undseth
CareerJoy Certified Resume Coach

Rebecca is a professional writer and business development specialist with 10 years of experience supporting professional consulting firms. She has a diverse knowledge base with expertise in the energy (oil & gas, power, etc.) and human capital sectors. Rebeccaspecializes in managing the execution of strategic activities to engage prospects and she has a unique understanding of the proposal management process — from lead qualification through to client engagement. Through her years of selling consultative services, Rebecca has gained expertise in resume best practices.

Tim Kantel - BA, MBA
Business Development Consultant

Tim has over 15 years of work experience in both the non-profit and for-profit sectors.  He has spent much this time working in the higher education field as an enrolment management professional and when not doing that, working in business development in industries as varied as Fair Trade coffee to entrepreneurial coaching.  He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from St. Stephen’s University and an MBA from St. Joseph’s College of Maine.   

Michele Wiwchar - BA
Manager of Client Services

Michele has nearly 20 years experience in project management and client service.  Her long and winding career road started in the the Foreign Service diplomatic corps as a Trade Commissioner after earning her degree at the University of Calgary.  Her seven years with the federal government included a posting in India and an invaluable education in the University of Life.  She then moved in to event, IT project and operations management.  Before joining CareerJoy, Michele was an independent project consultant and, having experienced working in the whole spectrum from huge bureaucracies to individual practice, realized her favourite place to work was as part of a dynamic, talented team of professionals who are engaged and passionate about doing their absolute best for their clients.

Lisa Rogers 
Manager of Finance

Lisa is a quirky, fun, and upbeat woman with a strong sense of what she wants and how to get it. She has come a long way. In fact, she spent too many years believing that she had to have an "important" career where she earned wads of money. Having herself completed CareerJoy's Career Identity Program for Professionals, Lisa came to the realization that she needed more work-life balance in her life. Having time to relax and be with family, she discovered, is really what is "important" to her. These days, she works as CareerJoy's finance manager, while also growing her own bookkeeping business. Still, she makes sure to leave room for walking her young daughter to school and taking the odd afternoon stroll.